I totally forgot Kyoto Animation had a show this season. I also totally did not expect Kyoto to follow up their hot swimming boy toy show with an archery man candy show so quickly. Maybe jam a quirky after school club, an isekai, or another season of Sound Euphonium in there between the manservice? Tsurune manages to show off some man abs three minutes into the show. Well, then.

Okay, okay, I forgot Tsurune was this season until it popped up next on our playlist, and I was thinking, from the first show of the archery grounds, that it looked too good for any old studio. Fashion Czar then asked, “Is this Kyoto?” before the OP played and, yep. I did notice that they went back to their old, unassuming kanji logo rather than the English one that they used recently. Kyoto’s production quality continues to be just consistently better than anyone else. They do not take a show off (unlike oh Sakura Quest). The scene compositions are interesting, and the reflection from the polished floors is a nice touch. The only demerit I’ll assign them is how bad the CG leaves look.

Who’s a good pupper? I give Kuma a 15,532 out of 10.

(Dear Kyoto, how that you’ve done hot swimming boy toys and archery man candy, I have suggestion for the next show: Cute boys who form an after school dog rescue group and finds puppers new homes.)

“I require the aid of some hip young folks…”

“… show me how to do the floss.”

Yep, I think Tsurune is the eighth show this season to feature a parent alive at the start of the show but is then subsequently seen dead a few minutes later. There’s always the classic shot of the deceased parent in a framed photo that is seen in episode one but never again after that. Also, the mom is dead, and the dad just goes on a mysteriously long work trip? Oh, Japan.

I’m glad they brought over all the archetypes from Free!. Oh, here’s the Shark-kun analogue as well as the spunky shouta-like substance.

“Wow, Kyudo girls are pretty hot. Is it the hakama boost?”

He says that, yet the show portrays the guys as being a lot sexier in hakamas than the ladies.

Of course, our troubled protagonist randomly goes up a hill and into a temple. There, he sees a serious man candy man shooting arrows in a picturesque shooting range. Can you even name another anime that has an archery group as part of a temple? Also, he has an owl. Do the two form a blossoming friendship? Maybe something more? Or maybe they form a servant/master pact?

(Fashion Czar: “He has a pet owl? Dreamboat.” Needless to say, up until the owl, I didn’t think she was into the show.)

(Seriously, though, Kyoto even draw the arrow spinning and having a projectile arc to it. They aren’t messing around with the animation.)

“Don’t you have the slightest shred of pride as an archer?”

Shark-kun doesn’t waste any time in establishing that he’s the bad boy who can’t be tamed by anyone.

The transition during this sequence of scenes was clever. While we’re not at all surprised that the main protagonist used to be a hot shot but experienced a fall from the top, it was interesting way to present his current failings as due to his past failings. I also want one of those “X” machines. I’ll toggle it whenever my baby poops while I am trying to change the diaper.